Hey Scott,

That's dead cool. Expecially how it evolves to a symbol of friendship from the virtual opposite of that.

Talismans are so powerful, and yet I've almost never read anything about them. Great to get this kind of analysis.

Great post, Scott, seriously.

I remember the shilling early in the film, but I think it became so much a part of their relationship, I never paid attention to it again. Yet, as you go over these scenes, I recall what made them so powerful to me, why I could identify with the growth in their relationship. There's the shilling representing an abstract development through concrete means.